What are the three R’s?

In ecology and environmental protection, a proposal to modify our consumption habits as a society
is known as the Rule of the 3Rs or Rule of the three Rs. It was popularized by the environmental
group Greenpeace.

It states that responsible consumption, that is, the application of certain strategies in the
management of our waste and material residues, can mean a positive ecological change, which has
an impact on the environmental quality of the planet.

To do this, Greenpeace proposes the mnemonic rule of the “3Rs”: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle,
three ways to control the amount of solid waste that we throw into the environment and that has
a harmful impact on biodiversity.

This concept has proved extremely popular, especially in industrialized nations. It has been
politically defended in important meetings such as the G8 in 2004, where the Japanese Prime
Minister Koizumi Junichiro proposed this initiative as a path towards sustainable development.

Reduce

The three r ecology reduce

By avoiding plastic bags, the production of waste is reduced.

The first R of ecology has to do with minimizing the waste produced daily in our societies, through
a less voracious, less dizzying and more responsible form of consumption. This proposal contradicts
the spirit of marketing and capitalist consumerism.

Reducing means consuming responsibly and consciously, thus reducing the amount used of:

Unnecessary energy. Avoiding leaving lights on, turning off appliances that are not in use, and
using electrical appliances (washing machines, dishwashers, dryers) in their proper measure.

Single use material. As packaging material, plastic bags, cutlery, plastic cups and plates, etc.

Polluting gases. Using cars responsibly, using public transport, car pooling, etc.
More in: Pollution

Re-use

The three r ecology reuse

Discarded containers can be used to decorate the house.

The second R of ecology states that the materials used should have the longest possible useful life,
instead of being used once and thrown away to buy a new one.

Thus, by reusing materials as much as possible, the need to consume a new one and produce
environmental waste is postponed. This happens by repairing them, giving them a new and
creative use, or putting off buying a new one as long as possible.

For example, the other side of printed sheets, plastic bottles, wooden boxes, etc. Can also be used.

Recycle

The three r ecology recycle

Non-biodegradable materials can be recycled to become raw material again.

The third R of ecology is, perhaps, the one that requires the greatest efforts, since it consists of
recycling waste materials that are still usable, to reinsert them into the production chain as raw
material.

This process is particularly important for non-biodegradable recyclable materials, such as certain
plastics, cardboard, glass, metal and paper, for example, which can serve as inputs for the
manufacture of new marketable items.

For example, glass can be remelted and used to make new bottles; paper and cardboard can be
broken down into pulp and made into recycling paper; aluminum and copper can be melted down
and used again, etc.

Continue on: Recycle

Benefits of the Three Rs

On the one hand, the benefits of implementing the three Rs of ecology have an impact on the
environment and the reduction of the ecological footprint of our civilization, which in itself is
urgent and a priority.

On the other hand, they provide economic benefits such as the reduction of superfluous expenses,
family savings, the use of recyclable materials as raw material instead of extracting more from
nature, etc.

A sustainable development model that can last over time without incurring crises and catastrophes
in the foreseeable future, must necessarily implement this concept of responsible consumption.

Importance of the Three R’s

The importance of defending the environment through the three Rs is vital, especially in the post-
industrial and consumer-oriented world we live in today, where we want to have everything
quickly at hand and we want to immediately forget about waste once we eat the hamburger .

The awareness of the beastly ecological damage that we cause to the planet is the only way
towards the survival of our own species. The amount of non-biodegradable garbage is such that
we are beginning to perceive it even in what we eat.

For example, microplastics are plastic particles discarded into the sea (garbage bags, above all)
whose size is imperceptible but their presence is notorious, which is why they lodge inside fish and
other animals that we eat. The three R’s of ecology are a way to initiate change before the
environment is totally contaminated.